Theron stared at her, his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I heard the food here is good. So I came to have dinner here. I didn’t expect to run into you."
Elowen tried to smile. "I see."
"And you? Are you here with your friends?" he asked, pretending to be curious.
"I-I came with my husband."
"Husband?" Theron raised an eyebrow.
Elowen gave a small nod.
Theron quirked his lips slightly. He felt nothing but bitterness.
’Even after everything, she still considers that man her husband. No worries. Soren won’t remain her husband for much longer.’
His eyes dropped to her hand. "Does he know you were injured?" he asked.
"No. I didn’t tell him."
A knowing smile spread across his lips. "Seems like you and your husband aren’t close."
Elowen sucked in a breath.
"Relax. I was kidding." He pulled out the ointment box from his pocket and held it out to her. "Take it. This is for you."
Elowen lifted her hand to take the box. Her fingers froze for a moment before she finally took it.
Their fingers almost touched.
"Thank you, Mr. Knox."
"Don’t thank me. You are my employee. You can come to me if you have any problem. Don’t hesitate."
"Get away from my wife." Soren’s angry voice shook the corridor.
Elowen flinched, startled.
Theron slowly turned around.
Soren stood several feet away, his face red with anger.
Theron remained calm. "I am only helping her."
Soren charged at him and grabbed his collar.
Elowen covered her mouth, shocked.
"She doesn’t need your help. I, her husband, am here for her."
"Really?" Theron scoffed. "If you truly cared about her, you would have noticed that she was injured. Instead, you are acting all jealous and insecure when someone else is trying to help her."
He shoved him away.
"Injured?" Soren frowned. He gave Elowen a pointed look. "Are you hurt?"
Elowen immediately drew her hands behind her back, hiding her wound. She shook her head.
Soren’s eyes flashed. His blood seemed to thunder beneath his skin.
’What is she trying to hide? My enemy knows she is injured. And she won’t tell me. Does she trust him more than she trusts me?’
The jealousy burning inside him suddenly became unbearable. He tightened his fist and punched Theron, sending him stumbling backward.
Elowen gasped.
Theron shot him a glare and punched Soren back.
"Stop," she screamed, terrified. "Both of you... Stop..."
But they were too furious to listen to her.
Soren grabbed Theron’s shirt and drove his fist into him again.
Theron retaliated fiercely. The sounds of fists connecting with flesh made Elowen’s heart pound.
"Please stop..." Elowen was so scared that she started crying.
A sharp pain knotted her abdomen.
"Uh..." Elowen’s breath caught. She staggered backward, one hand instinctively pressing against her stomach. The pain tightened. Her complexion paled.
Both men stopped fighting right at that moment.
"Elowen," Soren exclaimed and rushed over.
Theron moved at the same time.
Their arms supported her from either side before she could fall.
Elowen went utterly still, unable to process what was happening.
"Are you in pain?" Theron asked.
The concern in his voice reignited Soren’s anger. He pushed him away.
"Get your filthy hands off my wife. You bastard, I’ll kill you tonight."
He punched Theron yet again, sending him crashing to the floor.
Theron wanted to fight back. But he didn’t.
Soren jumped over and pinned him down, fist raised high.
"Soren, stop."
Soren’s fist froze an inch from Theron’s face.
Enduring her pain, she stepped forward and pulled Soren back with all the strength she had.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she thundered. "He was only trying to help me. Why are you hitting him?"
Soren scowled. "You are defending him?"
Theron smiled sneakily, satisfied.
’She took my side.’
He felt victorious.
Elowen clenched her fists. She didn’t want to argue with him. She didn’t bother answering him and turned to Theron.
Her gaze was apologetic. "You are bleeding."
Theron wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. "It’s fine." He pushed himself to his feet. "Don’t worry about me."
Elowen’s face flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"I am sorry, Mr. Knox." Her voice dropped to a murmur. "Please forgive me."
"Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault."
Soren watched their interaction. His chest tightened with resentment and jealousy.
"I am hurt too, Elowen. But you haven’t even looked at me."
His jaw throbbed. His knuckles ached. But she wouldn’t come to check on him. All her attention was on another man.
The burn of jealousy grew hotter and hotter.
"You care about a stranger?" He furiously pointed at Theron.
Elowen was trying to calm the situation. But he was hell-bent on making it worse.
She turned around, her gaze cold. "He is my boss. Of course, I care about him."
Theron felt a flicker of disappointment. ’Only her boss?’
But that disappointment didn’t last long. It transformed into determination.
’For now, I’m only her boss. But I’ll become her everything soon.’
Soren, on the other hand, went rigid.
"Your boss?"
He clearly didn’t know it. He felt numbness spreading across his scalp.
Theron flashed a challenging look at him. "Look, you shouldn’t misunderstand the situation. I happen to run into her here."
It was a lie.
He had approached Elowen deliberately.
"She accidentally spilled hot coffee on her hand and injured herself this afternoon. She forgot to take the medicine I bought for her. When I saw her here, I thought I’d give it to her."
Soren didn’t buy it. He wouldn’t believe that Theron’s meeting with Elowen was just a coincidence.
He could see the provocation beneath that calm façade.
"If she is hurt, I’ll take care of her. Who the hell are you to pretend you care about her?"
He charged at him and shoved him away.
Elowen couldn’t take it anymore. Her stomach was still hurting. Her head began to spin. The corridor seemed to tilt around. She reached for the wall. But before she could reach it, her knees gave out.
She collapsed.
Soren’s head whipped around. When he saw her lying there motionless, his face drained of color.
Theron also stood there, shaken.
"No..." Soren forgot everything. He forgot the fight, the resentment, the hatred.
At that point, he could only think about Elowen and her safety.
Without wasting another moment, he rushed over and dropped to his knees beside her.
"Elowen..." His fingers trembled as he reached out to her. "Don’t scare me, okay? Wake up."
His trembling fingers touched her face.
There was no response.
His heart seemed to stop.
"I-I’ll take you to the hospital."
Soren scooped her into his arms and carried her away.
Her head fell against his chest, completely limp.
Soren tightened his hold around her. "Hold on. You will be alright. You have to."
Behind them, Theron stood frozen, his expression complicated.